THE FOURTH ACT

The scene is a public lecture-hall. To the left rises a platform, on which stands a reading-desk. To the right are rows of chairs arranged as for an audience. In the front row of these sit four old men, patiently and silently waiting. One is reading a newspaper.

Suddenly there bursts into the hall a rout of wildly gay and dancing maskers: Harlequin, Columbine, a Pig, Pantaloon, an enormously tall Ghost, Clowns, a Skeleton, Ballet-girls, Oriental Princesses, Monks, Courtiers, Turks and Jew Pedlers. The first few attempt to draw back on seeing the chairs and the four old men; but they are pushed on by those behind. Once in, they all circle about in a crazy dance, singing over and over the same verse.

THE MASKERS

Oh, children, children, New Year's Day Is more than half a year away. And we might get most awful dry If we should wait for the Fourth of July. So let us celebrate now and here With rah, rah, rah and a bottle of beer! [One of the maskers, who is dressed as a clown, raises his hands, ineffectually trying to hush the rest.

CLOWN (shouting)

Stop! Stop! I want to teach another verse To you before we go back to the others. [Loud laughter. The song continues.

THE SKELETON (shouting)

Isn't one bad enough?

CLOWN

A poor thing—but It is mine own.

THE PIG

So much the worse for you!

ONE OF THE OLD MEN (rising)

Gentlemen! There's to be a lecture here.

CLOWN

Is that all? Well, I'll give it you myself.

A MONK

Not if we see you first!

THE PIG

My God! Let's run!

SKELETON

Back! Or the others will drink all the punch! [The mob of maskers turbulently surges out again, leaving the hall quiet and empty except for the four old men.

AN OLD MAN

They are a noisy lot.

SECOND OLD MAN

Yes.

THE FIRST OLD MAN

There must be Party upstairs?

SECOND OLD MAN

Yes, I suppose there is.

FIRST OLD MAN

They begin early.

THIRD OLD MAN

Early? Yes, or late. This is the end of last night's party, which Began at twelve, and likely'll last till noon. I know, for I'm the janitor.

FIRST OLD MAN

Well! Well! [Two men enter, look around and take seats in the chairs set for the audience. One carries a small black surgical case; the other has a green bag under his arm.

DOCTOR

We seem to be a little early—or Have we made some mistake?

LAWYER

No, ten's the hour. But I was anxious that we should be prompt, And so have rather overdone our haste.

DOCTOR

It doesn't matter; we can wait a bit. How curiously impatient, though, you are To hear this talk! I personally have doubts Whether it's worth our trouble.

LAWYER

Well, I know The man, however slightly; you do not, And so can hardly share my expectation. But he has been, throughout these many years, So secretive, so self-contained, so deep In matters that I could not guess, that now, When he at last promises to proclaim Some strange discovery, I half believe It will be worth our coming. [Two women enter together. The younger one is leading a child by the hand. The older, a gaunt, spinsterly-looking figure, peers about with a near-sighted glance.

MERCHANT'S WIFE

Take that seat. And now be quiet.

CHILD

Mother, will he have The Devil with him?

MERCHANT'S WIFE

I don't know. The child Has been completely crazy since I told her That I would bring her with me.

OLD WOMAN

I am just A little curious myself. I learned When I was young all that they thought was known About the Devil; and if this Mr. Faust Has really made some new discovery About him, it seems well that even the young Should be informed of it. [A number of detached men and women enter and take seats silently. They are followed by two plumbers in overalls, carrying the tools of their trade still with them.

YOUNG PLUMBER

Whew, but the boss will skin us for this trick!

OLD PLUMBER

Go, if you like. But I intend to stay. I have not been, through seventeen long years, Philosopher myself, now to let slip A chance of hearing such a talk as this.

YOUNG PLUMBER

Oh, I won't go.

OLD PLUMBER

You'd better not. They say That all the rumors wholly underrate The real importance of his talk to-day. I've been informed, on good authority, That he will have the Devil on the platform And publicly enchain him to a cart For all of us to see. [The two plumbers have taken their seats. A man behind them leans forward now and interrupts them.

BUTCHER

What's that? A cart? He means to drive the Devil as a horse?

OLD PLUMBER

Quite probably, quite probably.

BUTCHER

Well, that Will be outrageous, in these troubled times Of strikes and lock-outs. Without any doubt, If he goes trying to harness up the Devil, It will precipitate a teamsters' strike. Using non-union horses always does.

YOUNG PLUMBER

Do you think that? Why, that would be a shame, When times are bad already.

CHILD

Mother, Mother! Will there be moving pictures?

MERCHANT'S WIFE

I don't know. Don't talk so loud. [Two prosperous-looking men enter. One is elderly, the other young.

BANKER

Do not apologize Now that you've brought me. As I said at first, I am prepared to see a mountebank Perform his pretty tricks of eloquence To set the crowd agape. Why, once a week The Ethical Society hires one To work the same performance—quite the same Each time. Unearth a few forgotten doubts, Or dig your elbow into some new dogma, And you will see the mob fawn at your feet, Believing you the greatest mind since Plato.

RICH YOUNG MAN

I'm sure he isn't that kind.

BANKER

We shall see! And afterwards, the drinks shall be on you. [A gawky young man who has flour in his hair, and a vivacious and pertly dressed girl enter together.

GIRL

I go to all the lectures that I can. I do think culture is the grandest thing; And one acquires it so easily Nowadays that one shouldn't let it slip.

BAKER

I'd go to lectures, too, if I could go Always with you.

GIRL

Well, now, perhaps I'll try To educate you!

BAKER

Oh, I wish you would! [Satan enters, dressed as an artisan. He takes a seat in the far corner, out of sight of the platform. Two young men enter. Both have books under their arms.

YOUNG STUDENT

His is the subtlest mind I ever knew. The gulfs through which he whirled bewildered me When he would talk. So I am quite prepared For a great treat to-day.

YOUNGER STUDENT

Oh, I forgot My note-book. Can you tear a sheet from yours?

SATAN (to a man beside him who rises, apparently tired of waiting)

What, going? Well, I wouldn't, if I were you. You ought to hear this: I have had a hand In getting him to speak; and I am sure There will be something doing.

THE MAN

Well, I'll stay, Since you, of the committee, vouch for it. [More people enter and take their seats.

YOUNG PLUMBER (to his companion)

What do you get by being philosopher? I don't see how you do it. I could never Think about nothing all the time, like you.

OLD PLUMBER

Perhaps your mind is not just made for it. It takes a thinker, that it does. And I Did not get into it so easy, either. I read a lot of books before I saw The greatness of Philosophy. Now I wonder How I got on without it. Why, to-day I could not clean a sewer in peace of mind If I did not know that, when I got home, I could philosophize on Space and Time.

YOUNG PLUMBER

It must be wonderful to know these things. [Brander and Midge enter together. They seem to find some difficulty in choosing their seats.

MIDGE

Are you quite sure that we can hear him here?

BRANDER

Yes; and besides, I do not wish to sit Too near the front. I'd rather not have come At all to-day. But you...

MIDGE

Oh, don't go back Now on your promise! I must hear him speak. I must, I must. I cannot tell you why; I do not know. But I have never seen A face that seemed to promise me so much— Things that I cannot utter, cannot think.

BRANDER

I never want to see his face again. I shall try not to listen.

CHILD

Mother, when Will the show start?

MERCHANT'S WIFE

Hush, very soon! Yes, see— There he is coming in.

CHILD

Oh, goody, goody! [Faust enters the hall and mounts the platform. He busies himself for a moment adjusting the reading desk; then turns toward the audience, gripping the desk steadily, and waits a moment more for the stir to subside.

FAUST

I come before you with unwilling lips— Not led by eagerness, or wont of speech; Being not of those who easily proclaim Small miracles to move you. But the force Of grave necessity has bid me cast All thought save one aside, and in your midst, Utter strange words, with lips that must obey The soul that wills not silence.

For I come Announcing not the common verities Of learned books, or laboratory lore, Or ancient heresies; as speaks the fool, So speak I—from my heart. What I have seen, That shall you see, and with grim gladness hold Close in your hearts. Yes, all the world shall see it— I am a tower burning to light the world! (He pauses a moment, meditatively)

OLD WOMAN (whispering)

He has a good opinion of himself.

FAUST

I have beheld the toil and pain of life, Its emptiness and defeat; I have beheld Hearts, weary with recurrence of the days That held no sweetness, turn in trust to where In high aërial spaces far from earth God in his heaven to all the weary ones Offers a refuge. And in such a mood Was I, too, led toward heaven by one whom now I know my foe—Satan. Toward God I turned, Seeking in Him fulfilment of all hopes That earth had thwarted. Then, in the hour of prayer And revelation, from my deepest breast Flashed lightnings. And I saw the Lord of Hosts High on a mountain, inaccessible To yearning men, who, mastered by a dream, Turn skyward from our dark and struggling earth. I saw the crafty Satan urging on The heavenward-yearning myriads, while the world Lay like a stagnant quagmire, to his sway Wholly abandoned, and man's mortal house Burned in fierce conflagration of corruption. And lo! the lightnings from my heart smote forth Across the heavens; and God dissolved like cloud, And through the cloud peered Satan's sinister face.

Friends: God is dead; your God and mine is dead. And Satan in his place—Satan who is The father of the gods—lures on your hearts Unto an idol in the untrodden skies, That, while ye dream oblivious in the void, The earth may crumble. Or if God there be, He is the God of dying hearts and spent— A deity of chaos, for whose ends One thing alone is mete—ruin of life, Of loathings and of longings that on earth Restlessly grapple with the powers of Hell. I know not if in regions yet unguessed Some gods may dwell, of nature fit to guide Us, the adventurers of an earthly fight. But I have seen with eyes that cannot lie That they reside not in this Devil's net— This heavenly trust, this labyrinth of peace, Which draws men on to nothingness....

And I cry With all the passion of my baffled soul— Cast down your God! Cast down your peace and trust In His far Will! It is a solace mete For slaves, not men. With bitter hand, destroy This idol of destruction! Smite all haunts Of faith and resignation and defeat And rest and peace and comfort. Heaven and earth Alike are poisoned: somnolence in heaven, Decay on earth is regnant. Every faith And law and nation must in wreck go down For us who see the death that taints their halls; And ruin shall walk reckless through the world, Destroying tombs where life is daily slain! (Faust pauses)

BRANDER (rises suddenly from his place in the audience)

My friends, I came to listen, not to speak. But when such words as these from impious lips Fall lightly, I must rise here to refute Their poisonous message. Three days since, I stood With this man in the sacred halls of God, And witnessed in his heart the glory grow Of God's bright hope. Then suddenly from Hell, Or from his own deep, labyrinthine heart, Sprang fiends to snatch him back from heaven's clear gate And God's deliverance. And his bitter lips, By thirst so nearly quenched made bitterer yet, Cried blasphemies against the powers of heaven And all bright starry hopes that light our days With faith and glory. And the hand of God, Inscrutably withheld, smote him not dumb, But suffered him to go. Now in our sight He rises to proclaim his searing doubt, His hot destroying passion, and tears down Our fairest altars. I, who was his friend, Hereby renounce him; and in sober words Counsel all men to flee the company Of one who hates the great hopes of the world! [As Brander sits down, there is some scattered applause in the audience. Faces are turned toward him. Midge sits motionless, her face buried in her hands.

FAUST

I scarce foresaw that my laborious task Should profit by the aid of willing hands So freely offered. Well, the Devil moves still Unchained on earth; and while he toils, your toil Is of small matter. You have ranged yourself With things fast dying; and our feet—the feet Of trampling hordes—shall pass above your head, As we shall pass over all creeds and laws, All stately chambers and respected homes And hearths and council-halls and sleek vile marts— We, the destroyers of destruction!

BUTCHER

Here! Don't you go shaking any fist at me!

GIRL

I think it's awful. Someone ought to stop him.

MERCHANT'S WIFE

The man is crazy!

OLD PLUMBER

Say! Would you destroy Space and Time, too?

YOUNG PLUMBER

Hooray for hell broke loose!

BUTCHER

Out with him! He's an anarchist!

BANKER

I'm not Religious; but I cannot stand for that.

YOUNG STUDENT

Oh, let him have a chance!

BUTCHER

Not if I know it! Damn such a man! [Satan suddenly rises in his place with commanding gestures. The people stare at him, and after a moment are silent to hear him speak.

SATAN

My friends, I think we all— Or most of us—agree that talk like this Is a destructive influence, to be met With frowns, in justice to society. Such words disgrace humanity, affront Respectability, and fill with shame Our hearts for such a speaker. Yet the rogue Requires but rope to save the law the toil Of trial and execution. I bespeak, Therefore, your patience for this gentleman; Till he has time to wind the hempen knot Securely round his throat, let us sit by And hear him further.

FAUST

Thank you. You begin Well in my service.

SATAN

Aye, indeed, indeed! You don't suppose a mouse-trap baits itself? Friends, let us hear him.

RICH YOUNG MAN

That sounds sensible.

YOUNG PLUMBER

Let each dog have his day.

OLD PLUMBER

Sit down! Shut up!

YOUNG PLUMBER

Leave me alone!

SATAN

One moment more, I pray, Of your kind patience. Sir, ere you proceed, I have a word to give you. I have heard Tales of your cleverness in foiling twice The Devil who sought to lead you to resign Your will to his. Perhaps it was not well That you so spurned his euthanasia. By your own devious path, you come at last To where all facts are vain, all visions fade, And your old wager is a laughing-stock, So valueless your will, so vain your power To shape one end of hope. Life crumbles, falls, Around you; and your kind with horror see Your utter nakedness. But I have brought A little present for you: not so nice As two the Devil once offered in its place; Yet 'twill suffice. Men who would cheat the Devil Come, with a curious unanimity, To where the lump of lead becomes a boon Unto the soul rejecting easier sleep. The Devil claims his own in his own day. (He approaches the platform, and offers to Faust a pistol)

YOUNG STUDENT

What is he saying?

CHILD

Are they going to shoot?

YOUNG PLUMBER

Bang yourself one! That's what it's for.

BUTCHER

Good riddance! There isn't room on earth for jokes like you!

FAUST (accepts the pistol)

In such a spirit as you offer it, I do accept this token. In my hand At least it shall lie safe, nor be a god: I worship not the bullet.... But beware What mummer's part you play in this strange scene. For by the victory I have won of late, I am your master! And in grovelling dust Before me you shall cringe, though all the world Shun me, your conqueror. Vilest of slaves! Accept your servitude!

BUTCHER

Here! That's enough!

GIRL

You brute!

SATAN

Your slave. Command, and it shall be Fulfilled. A little snarling now and then Means naught.

YOUNG PLUMBER

I will not let an honest man, A worthy citizen, be spoken to Like that by a damn anarchist while I Can raise a hand!

BUTCHER

Nor I!

MERCHANT'S WIFE

Go after him!

FAUST

Silence! Let not your eager efforts prove You are the beast-herd he would bid you be!

YOUNG PLUMBER

What! Let us show him how to talk to us!

SATAN

See, on his forehead, see! Where the deep lines Meet—do you see the blackened cross that grows Each moment darker with the curse of God! He is branded, he is Cain!

FAUST

Down, slave! Fulfil Now my command, you who my bondsman are! Seal on these eyes—too blind to take the light— Darkness! And let me, turning from them, know They have not peered into my open heart. You are still my slave—though they are only fools.

YOUNG PLUMBER

Damn your infernal soul!

BUTCHER

Hit him a crack!

OLD WOMAN

Stop all your noise.

BUTCHER

Here, let me go, you fool! [Suddenly aroused, some of the crowd surge forward toward the platform. From the back of the room someone hurls a chair, which strikes the great chandelier: the lights instantly go out, leaving the hall in total darkness. Confused cries, footsteps, blows.

CRIES

What're you about?... Let go!... Where are the lights?... [Suddenly two wall-brackets are illuminated, disclosing part of the crowd massed on the platform. As they surge back, there remains on the platform, fallen and motionless, the figure of Faust. He raises his head slowly.

FAUST

Ah, Satan!... worthy serf to my command!... Go! I release you. For I would not die With such a slave— Nay, though I die alone.... [Suddenly the door bursts open, and in surge the maskers, in greater numbers and even wilder tumult than before. Dancing grotesquely, linked hand in hand, they zigzag through the hall, overturning chairs and singing at the top of their voices.

THE MASKERS

Oh, children, children, children dear, We cannot wait for any New Year. So let us celebrate now and here With rah, rah, rah and a bottle of beer!

CURTAIN